


I Thought My World Would End

by mumofthreedevils



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Bickering, Established Relationship, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluffy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 18:50:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7857034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mumofthreedevils/pseuds/mumofthreedevils
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hux takes a mission and Kylo is not happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Command Decisions

**Author's Note:**

> Most of my previous work has put Kylo through the wringer. I thought it was about time that the tables were turned.

Kylo was on the command Bridge. He’d been ordered to oversee the running of the ship in the General’s absence and he was not happy about it.

Hux had gone on a mission, much to the chagrin of Kylo who thought that his talents would be best suited and more appropriate for the job at hand but the General had insisted that this mission was of a delicate nature and bloodshed would not be tolerated. Kylo simply couldn’t be trusted not to decapitate or dismember anyone he came into contact with to get what he needed from the mission.

Kylo had a reputation. It wasn’t many missions these days that ended with his wrath. The mere sight of the Knight of Ren arriving for negotiations was enough to secure a good outcome for the First Order as opposing delegates succumbed to the knowledge that they either agreed with the Knight or lose their life to him.

Commanding in the military sense was not his thing. It was Hux’s thing. Kylo was happier taking the missions and doing the dirty work, getting the job done and returning to Hux triumphant. Pleasing Hux and furthering the First Order’s objective was his life.

This mission had apparently called for quiet and discreet diplomacy. Hux had said that “quiet and discreet was something that eluded Kylo”. The person Hux was to meet with had strong ties to the ruling family of the planet. He apparently had information that could bring the downfall of that family and land the planet and all of its abundant resources into the lap of the First Order. Resources that were desperately needed after the destruction of Starkiller Base. Hux was not prepared to take any chances. He was taking the mission himself.

Hux had mentioned the mission to Kylo when they woke that morning. He stepped out of the Fresher and threw his cold wet towel over Kylo’s naked form laying on his front with his long thick limbs spread to all four corners of the bed. Kylo howled indignantly and jump out of bed so fast that Hux had no time to move. He found himself in a bear hug being kissed deeply. Kylo was in an annoyingly playful mood and as much as he wanted to continue he knew that he had news to give Kylo and so he pulled away and wriggled out of the hold that Kylo had on him and continued to dress. Kylo huffed with disappointment and disappeared into the fresher.

“I’m going on a mission today” he said as Kylo hummed to himself in the shower.

“What was that?” 

“I said, I’m going on a mission today”

Kylo turned the shower off, grabbed a towel and came barrelling out of the fresher.

“I’m sorry but for a minute there I thought you said you were going on a mission today”

“Yes”

“Care to elaborate” Kylo said as he started to pull his robes on.

“I, accompanied by Captain Phasma and a squad of troopers, will be going on a mission to recover some delicate intelligence”

“And you’re going because?” Kylo said as he pulled his boots on and stamped his feet down hard on the floor.

“Look, just finish getting dressed and we’ll discuss the details later”

“I want to discuss them now” Kylo said, contentiously.

Hux fell silent and continued to dress. Kylo was beginning to steam a little. Hux could swear he literally saw some steam rising from Kylo’s shoulders and when Kylo went to say something, Hux cut him off.

“This conversation is over!” and he turned on his heels, threw his greatcoat over his shoulders and left the room with Kylo in hot pursuit.

The walk to the bridge was only a couple of minutes from Hux’s quarters but Kylo was making it the longest walk in history. He argued with Hux the entire way, struggling to put on his hood and mask as he went, making himself even more frustrated. By the time they reached the bridge they were both in a frightful mood. Bickering their way onto the bridge, the officers already at their stations couldn’t help but stare at the pair of them as they made their way through the bridge towards the viewport until finally, Hux got to the end of his tether.

“ENOUGH!!” he yelled with a ferocity that made Kylo stop dead in his tracks and the rest of the officers quickly returned to whatever it was they were doing before being so rudely interrupted.

“You will remain on the bridge where you can be kept out of trouble, do I make myself clear?” Hux said through clenched teeth.

The order was given in front of a full complement of officers and Kylo was bristling underneath his helmet. A mixture of rage and embarrassment, it seemed to be radiating throughout the personnel on the bridge. Everyone was treading on egg shells and keeping their heads down in the hope they would not have to deal with the obviously angry Knight.

So here he was, pacing up and down the bridge and waiting for reports from Hux. The atmosphere on the bridge was so thick it could be sliced with a knife and Kylo could feel the apprehension of the officers as he paced up and down the bridge. He was beginning to feel more than a little guilty about how nervous he made them and made a mental note to try and rectify it in the future. Hux made them nervous too he noted, but it was a different kind of nervous. They respected Hux, wanted to please him and do their jobs to the best of their abilities. They were nervous about letting him down. Kylo however, frightened them. There was no respect. They simply tried to avoid him at all cost. They valued their life and didn’t relish the idea of having it throttled out of them because the Knight didn’t like what they had to say. 

Hux and his team had been gone around three hours and had sent updates on their status every hour. With hour number four close, Kylo was becoming increasingly agitated. Something wasn’t right, he could ‘feel’ it and when it finally arrived and there was no update, Kylo stood and stared out at the stars. He gave them just five more minutes.

“Report” he snapped. Startling the young Lieutenant standing in front of him.

“Nothing to report sir! There has been no contact from the team.”

Kylo was pacing. The atmosphere on the bridge was thick with tension as every eye was on Kylo to see how he would react. Kylo knew he needed to keep calm and not let Hux down. He could do this.

“Scan the last co-ordinates” he ordered.

“Nothing Sir. No sign of tracking devices, no signs of life but there are a few heat blooms from what appears to be small fires. The shuttle is still at the initial landing site but again there are no life signs”

“Scan the surrounding areas”

“Sir, the surrounding areas are packed with dense foliage. There’s no sign of any of their tracking devices and with the amount of native wildlife on this planet, there’s no way of determining the wildlife from our men unless they send out a beacon. I currently cannot detect any beacons”

Kylo is silent. The young Lieutenant who gave the last report swallows hard. He’s expecting Kylo to do something dramatic like he always does when receiving bad news but Kylo keeps decidedly cool, or so it would appear to the surrounding officers. Inside he is beginning to panic and he’s thankful that he kept his mask on.

“Inform the hangar bay to prepare two shuttles. I want Troopers and medics ready in 5 minutes”

“Sir?” the query came from a nervous looking Captain.

“Captain, I hand the ship over to you. The General has every confidence in you and the rest of his crew. I will be going to retrieve the General. I trust this is…… acceptable”

The Captain is looking more than a little stunned at the compliment and taken aback by Kylo’s seemingly calm exterior. “Yes sir…… and good luck sir”

It was Kylo’s turn to be a little stunned at the sentiment from the Captain and he held his gaze for a while longer, extremely thankful he had his mask on. When he finally snapped his brain back into gear he merely thanked the Captain and turned to leave the bridge. As he made his way off the bridge he could feel just how anxious the crew were at the possible loss of their General but there was also something else…. a little hope perhaps, directed towards Kylo himself. He wasn’t going to let them down.


	2. Ambush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux and his team are dealt a deadly blow.

An hour after leaving the Finalizer, the shuttle Hux had taken with Phasma and the troopers arrived at a planet that was extremely lush and densely packed with vegetation. As the shuttle came into its designated landing spot, Hux could see huge elaborate and ornate cities dotted sporadically over the planet’s surface. The planet was indeed rich in resources and would be a handsome prize for the First Order but as Hux and his team had landed in the specified clearing he couldn’t help thinking that it was suspiciously out of the way of anything, oddly in the middle of nowhere and the hairs went up on the back of his neck.

‘Alarm bell number one’ he thought.

The cleared landing area was just that, a freshly cleared landing area in the middle of dense forest.

‘Alarm bell number two’ Hux thought.

Phasma had the perimeter checked out before letting Hux off the shuttle. She was obviously very wary and wasn’t taking any chances. When she finally signalled for Hux to leave the shuttle, she made a point of staying quite close. They had been given a second set of instructions to make their way to the meeting area and it was with a little trepidation that the troopers, followed by Phasma and Hux, started to hack their way through the dense undergrowth.

After almost three hours, they arrived at their designated co-ordinates. They were in another freshly prepared clearing and Hux couldn’t help feeling like they had been lured into a trap.

‘Alarm bell number three’ he thought.

Altogether too many alarm bells and Phasma also appeared to be quite wary as she ordered the troopers to check the perimeter. Hux made his way to the centre of the clearing looking around as the troopers diligently checked the surroundings. He was struck by the sheer beauty of the area and was wallowing in the absolute silence and the sun hitting his naturally pale skin. It was an odd feeling. The planet was lush with an ever present feeling of damp and chill in the air but the sun was pleasantly warm on his cheeks. He was pulling his greatcoat a little tighter to keep out the chill when he was distracted by the disturbance of a flock of brightly coloured birds from one end of the clearing.

He grabbed his blaster from its holster and looked towards the disturbance and then things started to feel like they were happening in slow motion. There were several large explosions effectively ripping apart most of the troopers followed by what felt like an enormous power pulse and then another large explosion. 

As the first shot struck him in the back of his right shoulder spinning him around, Hux thought that he’d been hit with some flying debris. He was slightly stunned and a little numb and more than a little annoyed that his right arm wouldn’t lift the blaster his hand was clutching.

As the second shot struck him just below his sternum it completely took the wind out of him and then the realisation of pain kicked in. So much pain. His whole body was awash with the most searing pain he’d ever felt. He almost felt like laughing but his head was screaming…… or was that him, he couldn’t quite tell it was all so surreal.

As he looked up from his less than co-operative hand and blaster, feeling his legs beginning to buckle underneath him he saw a figure looming out of the underbrush. For a moment he thought he’d died and gone to one of the hells he’d heard tell about in stories past as the figure before him clearly had a quite impressive set of horns. He was scowling and baring a full set of sharp incisors and was charging towards Hux at startling speed.

Hux’s feet wouldn’t move, he felt rooted to the spot and just as he thought he was going to be flattened, Phasma and a surviving trooper engaged the enraged individual. His legs gave in and Hux now found himself on the ground and surprisingly calm. He couldn’t move, couldn’t think straight and there was a commotion going on in the vicinity. He wished it would stop, that the noise and the yelling would stop. Such a beautiful quiet place, it was a shame to spoil it.

Hux was thinking of going to sleep. He was so tired and quite numb. His eye lids were heavy and just didn’t want to stay open. He thought about Kylo who was always saying he worked himself too hard and should get more rest. Maybe he should call Kylo and have an early night. He then felt a strong pair of hands taking him under his shoulders and dragging him uncomfortably across the clearing.

Phasma? Hux was completely confused. How did he get here? He was dragged to the edge of the clearing and propped unceremoniously against a tree. He could taste blood in his mouth.

‘That can’t be good’ he thought.

Phasma had removed her helmet and was looking at Hux with…. what was that, concern? She looked from Hux to the trooper who was putting up a brave fight against their attacker. A fight that he unfortunately lost when the attacker buried a wicked blade between his armoured plates. 

Phasma brought herself between Hux and the attacker and raised her blaster. As the attacker charged towards them she fired. Nothing….. Nothing happened. The blaster was dead. The power pulse must have disabled their weapons. Probably their comms too.

“Shit” Hux thought. So much for a quiet night and oddly started to chuckle to himself.

The attacker plunged at Phasma and Hux, he was surprisingly solid and heavy and all three of them disappeared into a small ravine on the edge of the clearing landing in a frantic pile of limbs. Phasma was immediately on top of the attacker after they had come to rest but unfortunately the pair of them were on top of Hux. 

Realisation hit Hux like a lightning bolt. Pain, so much pain and his lungs didn’t want to work properly. He’d been shot……. twice he thinks and he was likely going into shock. Phasma was still fighting the attacker. She had thankfully rolled him off of Hux and was now sitting on his back. He was putting up a good fight but ultimately her size and skill out manoeuvred him and she finally knocked him out using a rather handy rock from the stream they had all landed in.

Phasma took a few seconds to reclaim her breathing before realising that Hux was actually struggling the get his. Hux was actually starting to feel quite panicked. He couldn’t get his breath. He’s almost certain that the second shot had collapsed a lung. He couldn’t feel his right arm and he was freezing. The stream that he was currently laying in wasn’t helping that fact. 

After securing the attacker Phasma returned to Hux. Hooking one arm around his shoulders and one under his knees she lifted him out of the stream and effortlessly walked him to an area covered with soft moss and shaded by a huge tree. She pulled up moss to make a pillow and pulled Hux’s greatcoat tight around him but it was soaked through and wouldn’t be providing much warmth. Hux looked at Phasma gratefully as his body failed him and he passed out.

Hux was now shaking uncontrollably and Phasma thought about making a fire but everything was so damp she wouldn’t stand a chance of getting anything to set alight. They were now 30 minutes past their check in time. If Kylo had sent out a rescue party straight away, they should be arriving in around another 40 minutes. Phasma looked at Hux. He was so pale, and that was saying something. His complexion was naturally pale at his healthiest, with just a slight flush of colour on the cheeks, but now he just looked a horrible grey. His lips were blue and his eyes, that would flicker open in delirium, were devoid of life. He needed warming up so Phasma did the only thing she could.

She carefully removed Hux’s greatcoat and set it to one side. She then removed his soaked uniform jacket and shirt, only then seeing the extent of Hux’s wounds. Two gaping holes, one in the back of his right shoulder and an even uglier one around his sternum and both bleeding profusely. She was conflicted. Try to stop the bleeding and risk Hux dying of hypothermia or warm him and risk Hux dying of blood loss.

She huffed in resignation as she removed her armour, unzipped and stepped out of her black under suit. She curled up next to the shaking General and pulled his greatcoat over the pair of them. She wrapped her arms completely around him and immediately felt the warmth building between them. The shaking slowly started to subside and Phasma just hoped that it was a good sign and that she wouldn’t be found clinging to a corpse. The next 40 minutes were the longest 40 minutes of her life.


	3. Rescue and Realisation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo almost loses his world.

As the shuttle came to land at the co-ordinates set for the meeting, Kylo could see nothing but devastation.  
The troopers that had accompanied Hux were laying strewn across the site, many of them in pieces.

As Kylo stepped out of the shuttle and into the clearing he couldn’t ‘feel’ anything. The troopers and medics were already checking the bodies of the fallen troopers, the ones that would stand a chance at least. They got to work immediately on two troopers who were miraculously still breathing. Kylo felt his heart beating in his throat and was trying to swallow down a wave of panic when he heard a trooper.

“Sir! Down here!”

Kylo indicated to two troopers and a couple of medics to follow him and they made their way over to the edge of the clearing and peered down into the ravine. They could just make out the heap under the tree that looked like Hux’s greatcoat. They carefully made their way down the steep sides towards the heap and as they got closer Kylo could feel something, just a little thought from Hux about wanting to sleep, having an early night and Phasma being awkwardly clingy.

“Well it’s about time” Phasma yelled at the medics as they peeled back the greatcoat.

“Sorry sir! Phasma snapped at Kylo as she stood up and pulled Hux’s greatcoat around herself.

The apology didn’t register though as Kylo took one look at Hux and visibly shook on the spot. He resisted the urge to fling himself by Hux’s side in favour of letting the medics do their job. Hux was completely unconscious anyway and it would have made no sense to get in the way.

“Report” he said calmly to Phasma after he snapped from his initial shock.

“We were ambushed sir. The meeting site was booby trapped and the initial explosions all but wiped us out and destroyed our weapons and comms. Then this individual….” She said pointing to the horned humanoid currently tied to a tree. “This individual attacked us, he got two shots at the General before I could stop him…… I’m sorry sir!”

By this time the medics and the troopers were making their way back up the sides of the ravine with Hux. The medics were looking more than little worried.

“Follow them” Kylo ordered “and…… thank you” he added.

“Yes sir. What about him?” she said pointing at the attacker.

“I’ll take care of him” he said ominously.

Kylo watched for a minute as Hux disappeared into the clearing with the medics, troopers and Phasma. He slowly turned to the individual tied to the tree and with his lightsabre at the ready he held his free hand close to the individuals face and asked “who are you?”

The individual looked into Kylo’s mask and tried to resist answering but Kylo just pushed a little harder and he all but blurted out the name “Trapp Brohark”

“Where are you from?” Kylo continued.

By now the man was sweating profusely and looked to be in agonising pain.

“Daveron” he spluttered.

“Why did you attack the General?”

And this time Kylo didn’t have to push. Trapp Brohark literally just blurted it out.

“He killed my family. My…. Entire….. family! They were on Hosnian Prime when he fired that damnable weapon.” And then he spat at Kylo and sat back against the tree feeling vindicated.

It was the last thing he did feel however as Kylo activated and raised his lightsabre and removed his head with one swift swing. He stood there for a moment watching the silver blood fizzle from the blade before making his way back to the shuttle. He didn’t want to delay their return to the Finalizer. Hux was in bad shape and would be lucky to make it back as it was.

The shuttle ride back to the Finalizer seemed to take an eternity. Kylo watched as the medics did everything they could for Hux. He was attached to several bags of fluid and his wounds had been wrapped in compression bandages. They had relieved his collapsed lung with a chest drain that Hux had felt. Kylo knew this because he’d felt it too! Hux had opened his eyes and looked to Kylo pleading for the pain to stop and he was projecting it violently.

Kylo couldn’t just watch anymore. He removed his helmet and threw himself down beside Hux and took his hand.  
The medics and troopers were a little stunned as the Knight started stroking his fingers through Hux’s hair but Kylo didn’t care. He squeezed Hux’s hand leaning in to place his forehead against Hux’s and then gently entered into Hux’s mind. 

Kylo’s mind and body were suddenly filled with unimaginable pain, Hux’s mind was screaming. It took a second for Kylo to gather himself and then he replaced Hux’s pain with a memory. The memory Hux had of his Mother, stroking his hair as a child as she comforted him when he was unwell. Kylo started shaking violently as he took Hux’s pain but he carried on stroking Hux’s hair and feeding him the memory. The medics were becoming a little worried until Hux began to calm. His features became more relaxed and a smile appeared to the medic’s amazement. It was then that the sedation kicked in, the screaming in Hux’s head stopped and Kylo collapsed at his side, still clinging to Hux’s hand and tears streaming down his face. He stayed there the entire trip with his head buried in his knees.

Back on board the Finalizer, Kylo watched as Hux was prepared for a Bacta tank. The wires required to watch his vital signs were attached and the breathing mask was firmly attached to Hux’s face and then he was gently lowered into the tank until he was freely floating. Completely sedated and peaceful. Kylo was happy to note that Hux’s internal screaming had stopped and was replaced by the happy memory of his mother. He hoped Hux would remember that feeling when he woke up.

It was then that he noticed Phasma standing just outside the room. Back in her usual armour with her helmet under her arm but with some healthy bruising appearing on her face. Kylo beckoned her into the room.

“Thank you” he smiled at her.

Kylo felt a sudden feeling of surprise from Phasma and then he realised that she’d probably never seen him smile before and to actually be thanked by the Knight was unheard of. Again he was feeling guilty about the way people reacted to him. 

“The medics have just told me that if you hadn’t kept him warm the way you did, he probably wouldn’t have made it back to the ship. I owe you my life”

Phasma looked stunned.

“You?” she queried.

“Yes, Hux is my life and you saved him, therefore I owe you my life. If ever you need anything you have only to ask”

“Yes sir……. thank you sir” she said with a hint of fascination in her voice. She was seeing a side of the Knight she’d never thought possible. “I hope he recovers well” she said as she left the room.

The medics told Kylo that Hux would be in the tank for 3 days and Kylo’s heart sank. Three days of watching him floating in that tank was going to be torture so he decided to go back to work. Go back to what Hux had ordered him to do. Take care of the ship and stay out of trouble. So he did. He spent his days on the bridge and his nights in the medical bay sleeping next to Hux’s tank. 

Kylo had noticed a change on the bridge. The officers were not anxious in his presence like they were before, in fact they didn’t try to avoid him in their usual way at all and their concern for the possible loss of their General was now replace with the hope he would recover quickly and return to work. The days passed quickly and, Kylo thought, relatively happily. Another feeling he was unused to.

On the evening of the third day, Kylo returned to the medical bay to find Hux sitting in bed after being removed from the Bacta tank and cleaned up. His sedation was wearing off and although he still looked a little high from the powerful drugs he’d been given, he was happy to sense that Hux’s injuries were now just a dull pain and not the agonising torment they had been just days before. 

Kylo stood in the doorway and just watched as Hux laid there, breathing gently and totally unaware of his presence. When he finally opened his eyes and saw Kylo he beamed a smile Kylo would never forget. He raised his uninjured arm and beckoned him closer. As Kylo reached the bedside, Hux grabbed the robes around Kylo’s neck and pulled him in for the sweetest kiss Kylo had ever had. 

“Thank you” Hux said with tears in his eyes. “Coming to get me, the memory, taking away the pain, all of it”

“If you died…” Kylo choked out “If you had died, I thought my world would end” and he bent down onto Hux’s chest just to hear his heartbeat and make sure it was real.

Hux wrapped his arm around Kylo and hugged him close.

“Who was he?” Hux asked “The attacker, who was he? What did he want?”

“Revenge, he wanted revenge. His name was Trapp Brohark. He was a Daveronian and he lost his entire family the day you destroyed Hosnian Prime. They were diplomats”

“What happened to him?”

“I….. decapitated him. Sent him to meet his family” Kylo said a little guiltily.

Hux rolled his eyes. “So, from now on, I’ll let you keep going on missions and I’ll take care of the ship”

“Deal” says Kylo with the biggest smile Hux has ever seen.

“There’s just one thing I ask”

“What?” Said Kylo a little nervously.

“You have to try and stop decapitating and dismembering people when you don’t get what you want”


End file.
